About the Event

At an estimated 30 million units with a market size pegged at $5 billion, SMEs in India power the country’s growth engine. Not only does it provide employment to 60 million people, SMEs contribute about 45% of the manufacturing sector output and 40% of the nation’s exports.

In spite of the impressive figures, SMEs do not have the luxury of deep pockets. This means they are the first corporate entities to bear the brunt of the ‘perfect storm’ when it hits the economy. While 2008 left the segment bruised, another one is looming on the horizon. 

At this seminar, we take a look at how SMEs can prepare better this time and indeed for all future instances. To begin with, we discuss ways as to how the management can tighten its belt before a slowdown hits the economy and, therefore, have a shield in place for any eventuality - even the most unexpected.

Secondly, access to funds which is a persistent issue for SMEs, becomes even more difficult when banks tighten purse strings during a slowdown. We take a look at alternative sources of funding, e.g. the government and PE players which would probably want to invest at attractive pricing levels.

The last session takes an in-depth look at how SMEs can utilize technology to address the challenges they face over the medium term.

Key Objectives

• Helping entrepreneurs in putting in place an early warning system while facing slowdown and managing challenges through scaling down, optimizing workforce productivity and communicating effectively with customers and employees

• Looking beyond the traditional modes of funding and tapping government funding opportunities and VC/PE players

• Accessing markets by leveraging technology to cut costs, improve profitability and efficiency of SMEs.